I'm not going to get too deep into this, but as an emt who has had to deal with some of these people who end up ketimined, it is my opinion that not drugging them may cause more deaths than drugging them.

Sometimes the amount of flipping out of these people and telling and spitting and biting and struggling is just not very believable. Trying to take care of a pissed off patient flinging blood all over the place while they're summoning what seems like way too much strength for a person their size and racking their heart rate up to 180 seems way more dangerous than the drug risk for everyone involved.

[–] deadbeef79000@lemmy.nz 13 points 7 months ago (2 children)

as an EMT

You're actually trained to administer medication and evaluate its risks.

The cops just want to play Judge Dredd.

[–] shikitohno@lemm.ee 6 points 7 months ago

If you read the article, it seems to actually be paramedics administering the medications in every case mentioned. The cops are still being shitty by using dangerous restraint holds on people, along with often encouraging EMTs to give sedatives in cases where the only justification is the convenience of the cops, but I didn't see them mention any cases of cops actually being the ones sedating people in it.

[–] ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de 4 points 7 months ago

Cops aren't the ones drugging the people. The paramedics are. They then get taken to the hospital most of the time.